Starting next week, Kotaku will begin streaming new episodes of Retro Game Master, the Japanese TV series that forces comedian Shinya Arino to play Japan's most popular video games, largely from the 8-bit and 16-bit era, in marathon gaming sessions.

Kotaku's parent company, Gawker Media, has licensed the series, originally known as Game Center CX, and will air fresh episodes in English on Thursday nights. Game Center CX has produced 15 seasons of gaming content, with Arino playing through dozens of Famicom, Super Famicom, PC Engine and Mega Drive games.

The show also spawned two original games, one of which, Retro Game Challenge for the Nintendo DS, came to North America.

Retro Game Master will be featured exclusively on Kotaku every Thursday night, posting at 8pm EST, starting June 23, 2011.

The official announcement from Gawker and A Bigger Boat is below, complete with the most elaborate description of what Kotaku is.

Kotaku Exclusively Brings Japanese Cult Hit Retro Game Master to the United States

NEW YORK – Gawker Media's influential gaming website Kotaku will be the first media outlet in the United States to air a U.S. version of Japan's wildly successful cult television hit Retro Game Master.
The show, known in Japan as Game Center CX, features comedian Shinya Arino playing Japan's most popular video games – a perfect fit for Kotaku. Kotaku, in partnership with RGM, will feature new episodes made for United States viewers weekly starting in June.

Says Block "Watching RGM is addictive...I knew we had something special when we couldn't stop watching our first episodes, and when people would stop for a quick peek and stay for 30 minutes. It's Iron Chef for the Gamers."

Eric Spiegelman of Jetpack Media brokered the deal between Gawker Media and A Bigger Boat.

Retro Game Master will be featured exclusively on Kotaku every Thursday night, posting at 8pm EST, starting June 23, 2011.

About Kotaku
Kotaku is the definitive digital hub for video game news, reviews, cheats, design, and entertainment. It tracks the genre's spreading popularity from hardcore obsession to casual gaming in pop culture and social media. Read by both developers and the players who idolize them, Kotaku is the lifestyle bible for millions of button-pushers and console fiends.

About Retro Game Master
Now in its 15th Season, Retro Game Master is a reality television show unlike any other that taps into the mega world of classic gaming. The show, known in Japan as Game Center CX, features comedian Shinya Arino playing Japan's most popular classic games – a perfect fit for Kotaku. In each episode, the Game Master plays a classic video game that audiences remember playing, but few could master. The Game Master does not stop playing until the game is won.

About A Bigger Boat
A Bigger Boat is the motion picture production and distribution company formed by Peter Block in 2008. Their recent productions include John Carpenter's THE WARD, SAW 3-D (the 7th installment of the storied franchise), and FROZEN, an official selection of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. A Bigger Boat is currently in post-production on HOUSE AT THE END OF THE STREET. They also acquired the rights to Roger Smith's thriller MIXED BLOOD, which he will produce with GreeneStreet Films and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. Peter Block is also the President & General Manager of the television network FEARnet.